No. 2: Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode have been together for close to 30 years and have the discography and following to show for it. The band’s music was before its time, and their prophetic style influenced many of today’s artists including The Killers, The Bravery, Franz Ferdinand, Radiohead, The Crystal Method, Linkin Park, Fear Factory, Rammstein, Marilyn Manson, A Perfect Circle, Smashing Pumpkins, Tori Amos, Pet Shop Boys, Johnny Cash, and Coldplay.

Maybe it was because I was naïve or too young to get it (my musical tastes have matured and grown by leaps and bounds over the past decade or so), or maybe because Depeche Mode had laid the groundwork for much of the music I had listened to a good portion of my adult life, it made it hard for me to see them as anything but overproduced synth pop. After hearing that Depeche Mode would be one of the headliners at this year's Lolla, I decided I wanted to take another listen to the band's entire catalog and try to understand how and where this headliner tag was coming from. I get it now; I understand how some of the generation behind me could so deeply enjoy this band. I’ll admit outside of Violator, the band's 1990 breakthrough album, I still think most of their work is a series of hits and misses. The new album happens to be a miss. Even within the misses, I can see how much of the electronic influences in music today can be linked back to the band's experimental electronic rock.

I will definitely be joining the crowd on Friday night to see Depeche Mode, the competition is slim. Just think of it as Personal Jesus against Sex of Fire. Easy choice right?

Depeche Mode on MySpace

The Official Site of Depeche Mode